Multi-way pivoted valve unit



NOV. 10, 1959 K, A, KLlNGLER 2,912,012

MULTI-*WAY PIVOTED VALVE UNIT Original Filed June 28, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 2,7 9 1 Fly! 20 2 I J9 gl .lttorneys NOV. 10, 1959 K, A, KUNGLER 2,912,012

MULTI-WAY PIVOTED VALVE UNIT Original Filed June 28, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 In ven or jar! j'Z regler .ft torne'ys United States Patent() MULTI-WAY PIV OTED VALVE UNIT Karl A. Klingler, Naperville, lll.

Original application June 28, 19'56, Serial No. 594,646, now Patent No. 2,852,947, dated September 23, 1958. Divided and this application June 7, 1957, Serial No. 664,215

1 Claim. (Cl. 137-625.44)

My invention relates to a new and useful improvement in multi-way pivoted valve unit and has for one object to provide a suitable valve housing and valve unit wherein a minimum of obstruction to ow of liquid therethrough may be achieved.

Another object of my invention is to provide a valve housing wherein the path of the liquid owing therethrough will to a minimum extent be subjected to eddy currents and other resistance.

I have illustrated my invention in connection with a two-way valve though it could equally well be used in connection with other types of valve.

I have illustrated my invention as applied to a ball valve though obviously other valves might be used.

Any suitable actuatingk means may be used for actuating the valve. The actuating means forming the subject matter of my co-pending application, of which this application is a division, Serial No. 594,646, tiled June 28, 1956, which has matured into Patent No. 2,852,- 947, is especially well adapted for that purpose.

My invention is illustrated more or less diagrammatically in the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure l is a plan view of the valve housing and actuating mechanism;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal section through Figure 1 showing the parts in the position assumed when the solenoid or motive element is idle;

Figure 3 is a section similar to Figure 2 showing the parts in the position assumed when the motive element has completed its actuating excursion;

Figure 4 is a side elevation of thel valve housing as shown in Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a view taken in the direction of the arrows 5 showing end elevation of Figure 1.

Like parts are indicated by like characters throughout the specication and drawings.

1, 2 are two sections of a valve housing held together by studs 3 and bolts 4. 'Ihe two sections dene a valve chamber 5. Inlet tube 6 integral with the housing section 2 defines the usual inlet port communicating with the valve chamber 5. An exhaust tube 7 integral with housing section 2 defines an exhaust port encircled by an exhaust valve seat 8. An exhaust tube 9 integral with the housing section 1 defines an exhaust port encircled by an exhaust valve seat 10. The tubes 7 and 9 are side by side and generally parallel and in this case generally at right angles to the intake tube 6 but they and the exhaust ports defined by them are so disposed that the axis of the port in each case makes an obtuse angle with the axis of the intake sleeve.

The housing 1 is apertured as at 11. On each side of the aperture are outwardly extending lugs 12 drilled out to furnish bearings vfor the pivot pin 13-on which is pivotally mounted a valve actuating lever 14` terminating at its inner end in a valve supporting finger 15 having an enlarged head 16 and enclosed by a rubber or elastomeric sleeve or sack 17 closed at its inner end, extending outwardly toward the pivot 13, flanged at 18 to rest against the annular sealing surface 19 concentric with the aperture 11. A washer 20 rests upon the flange 18 and is of such thickness that when the pin 13 is in place, it engages the upper face of the washer 20, compresses it against the flange 18 and holds the ange seated on the sealing surface 19. A thinexible iin 2l. extends downwardly from the vange 18l to rest against the wall of the housing so that hydraulic pressure forces the iin 21 against the housing and 4makes a tight seal. i

Enclosing the inward end of the linger 15 is a ball like valve 22 penetrated by the enlarged head 16 and thereby held in place on the finger. The valve is recessed as at 23 so thatwhile the head 16 snugly engages the ball valve, the valve -is free to rock on the nger 15 to adjust itself in position for proper contact with the valve seats 8 or 10 respectively, as the lever 14 is angularly displaced.

It will be noted that when either one of the valve seats is engaged by lthe ball-like valve which in this case is actually a cylinder with generally spherical ends, the angle of owktrom the intake through the valve chamber and out through the open port is such that a minimum resistance to ow by eddy currents isinterposed because of the fact'that the axes of the cylinder 6 and the ports 8 and V10 as above pointed out are inclined toone another on obtuse angles.

The sole purpose of the bolts 4 isV to hold' the Vtwo vhalves of the valve housing together. Studs 3 have a dual purpose. Each of the studs vis threaded at its-lower end. A nut 24 is threaded thereon and welded in place and serves as an abutment so thatwhen the nut 25 is tightened up, the two halves of the housing are drawn together. Each stud 3 at its outer end is welded to a semi-circular trough-like member26 `which is anged and reinforced at 27 to support'an abutment lplate 28, which plate'is apertured at 29, 30 and 31.

32 is a lever actuating push rod of generally V-shaped cross section as indicated -in Figure 5 and flattened' at 33 and notched to engage the notch 34 in the lever 14.

The push rod 32 is free to reciprocate with respect to the ,lever and linger in a counter clockwise direction to maintain the ball valve 22 normally seated on the exhaust valve'seat 10. i

The solenoid coil yokes 37 support a solenoid coil -38 and carry channelled guide members 39 which penetrate respectively the apertures 30 and 31 in the plate 28. Springs 40 encircle the members 39 abutting at one end on the plate 28 and at the other end on ngers 41 bent outwardly from the channeled shaped members 39 so as to bias the solenoid toward the plate 28.

42 is a solenoid plunger associated with the solenoid and pivoted at 43 on the lever 14 so that when the solenoid is energized, the plunger 42 may be drawn tothe right compressing the spring 35 and causing the ball 22 to seat upon the valve seat 8 leaving the valve seat 10. This takes place without any change in the position of the solenoid yokes because it takes more powerto compress the springs 40 than vit does to compress the spring 35. However, as soon as the valve 22 is seated on the seat 8 which occurs before the end of the solenoid excursion, the power exerted by the solenoid then compresses the springs 40 to permit the solenoid plunger to make its complete excursion,

In the position shown in Figure 2 with the solenoid not energized, theline f pull along the axis of the solenoid plunger is generally perpendicular to the ef- .fective lever..a1:m.hetween..pivot .points 13.,and 43 so 'thatJ-at `.thebeginning .of solenoid operation when the `plunger 'isffurthestout and so its e1ect'is.at the minimum, the'leverage .is..applied through a ninety .degree angle. ,As `thepdungengoes further toward seating, the angle.b,ecomesvmore .obtuse sothat the advantage of theleverage decreases vas the plunger approaches the vpoint -of .maximum pull.

At .'the.same .timeas .the,lever.14 rotates in a clock- Wise .direciton,.the resistance of the compressionspring 35 increases and the further lever 14 rotatesthe greater the resistance ,of.:the..-spring..35 :until the 'valve body Z2 :seatsagainst theseat 8.and can .go no further. This amounts .to Va stop 'limiting 4the angular travel of the lever..14. Thereaftersince the `plunger has not yet seated .and..needs.to seat to complete its cycle, the springs 40are.now.compressed.and the'solenoid 38 moves toward .the pivottpoint 43. This is possiblebecause the strength of the springs "40 is greater .than the strengtho the spring35 .and .until the solenoid :has urged the lever .',14 as. far asit 4can go, compressing the spring 35, the springs.40 remain .in position andthe movementof the solenoid yagainst .their compression only takes place after the valve hastseated. in the new,position and rotation of the. lever -14. has been .broughtV toV a stop.

:During .this part of the operation, because of the Aprevious rangular .displacement in a clockwise direction of the lever 14, the relationship between the .effective `lever ycentering at113 in .opposition to the push rod 32 .hasnow changed `so that there is anobtuse angle be- `tween that lever `andfthe line of force' of the spring 36 so :astorreduce `the power of that spring in opposition to the power..of .the solenoid.

An ear .50 .extends'from the abutment plate 28, is `apertured.,at..51 and Vis ,generally in line with one side -of the valve housing.

I..havet.used ythe word ball -valve as applied to the valve membert22. .I want it understood that this term is v:userl-inthe `broadest-*possible sense as .a .valve-which operates..as;.ballvalves.are in the..habit of .operating without :reference to .any particular shape orr contour.

`fllheuseand `operationof my invention-.are asv follows:

.It is .important that Vthe seating .of thevalve `in either of -itsftwo positions be. accurate and snug .to insure zagainstleakage. Therefore the ball is loosely mounted on the dinger. The iinger holds it -in position but because thevalve vis `free 1torock through a limited extent on theball jointbetweenit and the linger, the linger .can adjust,itse1f,toinaccuracy. It can even Yadjust itself to obstructions which might he caught between .the vvalve :ball andthe seat.

It is important to accomplish rapid and smooth flow of the'uid, usually water, controlled by the valve so that a minimum of eddy currents, a minimum of obstructions be met by the liquid. The particular angular arrangement of the planes of the two valve seats lends itself well to a smooth ilow of the liquid. The liquid does not have to make a n'ght angle turn. It makes afgraduallchange .in `direction -and lso .tends to ow freely and smoothly. This is especially important in connection with such appliances as washing machines where-rapid filling anduullings of great importance.

Theaparticulamarrangement 'results in.tl1e..use.of a.distribution'evalveim a'valve housing -orchamber where a minimum change in effective cross sectional area ofl the stream of liquid results,.thusminimizing eddy currents and maintaining smooth ow.

I claim:

In a.;two-way v-valve,..a twopart valve body. enclosing .and forrningtayalve chamber, one housing part being .apertured to. receiveavalve actuating member an intake duct integral with.and,extending .from the other housing part in general alignmentwithjthe aperture, 'the axes of said.duct fand.aperture beingparalleLthe two housing parts beingseparable along a plane inclined to the axis of 'the intake duct `and .means for holding the two parts together, exhaust ducts extending in opposite dircctionslfrom the valve chamber each integral with one .of ithehousing parts, hav-ing opposed valve seats one of the valve seats being located adjacent the chamber in one .offthe bodygportions, 'the other valve seatv being located opposite theffirst in the'other bo'dy portion of the chamber, ,an .elastomeric `anged sleeve vclosing 'the aperture andexten'ding into the valve chamber, a valve actuating inger yextending. inwardly 'through the aperture into the sleeve, a ball valve carrie'dby the inboard end of the dinger, apivot support "for'the ngcr, on the housing part'above'the sleeve `ange, the ball valvebe'ing supported`by 1thetingerfor movement across the plane of separation f the valve parts'between' the valve seats.

Rferencesitdinthe le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 7523439 .Coryell Feb. 16, 1904 787,565 Coryell Apr. 18, 1905 913,400 vKimball Feb. .23, 1909 V1,065,467 -Biel June 2A, '1913 2,035,747 Harris Mar. 31, 1936 2,188,216 l.Beecher Jan. 123, 1940 2,368,120 Downey Jan. 30,1945 .2,494,091 Harris Jan. l0, 1950 2,694,414 =Seyferth Nov. 16,V 1954 jFOREIGN PATENTS 106,847 Germany `Nov. 1l, 1899 

